This invention relates to aquariums and associated accessories, particularly aerators.
In aquariums aerators are necessary to add oxygen to the water in order for the fish kept therein to survive. Most aerators consist of plastic tubes placed on the side or on the bottom of an aquarium. In such a position the aerators are visible and not aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, in most cases the air bubbles dispersed from the aerator are not evenly distributed throughout the water and therefore the water is not oxygenated as well as it could be. An even further problem with many present aerators is that when an aerator is placed on the bottom of the tank it may become covered by sand, rock and gravel, thereby not doing an effective job of aerating the water in the aquarium tank.
Thus, a need exists for an aerator conduit holder that hides the aerator, prevents it from becoming covered with sand, rocks and gravel when placed on the bottom of the aquarium, does a better overall job of aerating the water and has an overall more aesthetically pleasing appearance.
The prior patented art includes some aerator conduit holders but none like the present invention. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,184 by Greenbaum, issued on Jun. 20, 1967, teaches a conduit line stabilizer which has a channel running along the bottom thereof. However, the latter holder does not have the same structure or purpose as does the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,185, issued to Perez on Jun. 20, 1967, discloses an aerator holder in the form of a lighted ornament which holds the aerator off of the bottom of the tank. U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,946, issued to Leuthesser et al. on Aug. 2, 1977, teaches an aeration system for a fish farm tank with an aerator holder that runs along the bottom of the tank. Canadian patent number 472,732, issued to Feldman on Apr. 10, 1951, shows a U-shaped aeration device for an aquarium. U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,959, issued to Stone et al. on Aug. 8, 1995, teaches an aquarium tank with a flat full aerator running in the back of the tank. U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,985, issued to Wilkins on Nov. 29, 1994, shows an aquarium aerator manifold having a grid with holes on the bottom placed on the bottom of the tank. U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,966, issued to Smolski on Jul. 1, 1969, teaches a vertical, tubular aerator device with an internal helix through which bubbles rise, thereby causing a circular motion to circulate the water. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 950,999, issued to Erlwein et al. on Mar. 1, 1910, shows another aerator device consisting of an elevated tube on the bottom of the aquarium.